Monday, March 31, 2014

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with green lentil soup, but
once you start making it with black “beluga” lentils, you’ll have a hard time
going back. These black beauties cook up melt-in-your-mouth tender, but still retain
their structural integrity, which gives the soup both a thick, satisfying body,
and a light, non-starchy mouthfeel.

The flavor is wonderfully meaty, especially when you toss in
a handful of bacon, and they require absolutely no finesse to prepare perfectly.
Just simmer until you have achieved lentil tenderness, adding broth as needed.
That’s pretty much it.

I’m told black lentils are really good for you, which is
weird, since I’ve never asked anybody. Nevertheless, this is a soup you can
feel good about putting into your body, unlike that “Bacon Jalapeño Popper
Chowder” recipe you got off Pinterest. We’re still right in the middle of soup
season, so the next time you feel like a hot bowl, I hope you give this black
lentil soup a try. Enjoy!

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Thursday, March 27, 2014

As I mention in the video, I’ve done almost 1,000 videos,
and yet can’t remember ever featuring chicken and olives in one before.
Considering how brilliant a combination they are, this is nothing short of
astounding. I think there are a few in our famous arroz con pollo recipe, but
as far as full co-star billing, this is the first time.

Hopefully, it was worth the wait. For that to be the case,
you should probably really like, if not love, olives. Their sharp, briny bite
is the dominant flavor here, which is why it pairs so well with chicken breast.
This one of those dishes where if you tasted the chicken and sauce separately,
you probably wouldn’t be very impressed, but together – magic.

Any pitted olives will work, but the Kalamata and
Castelvetrano varieties are highly recommended. Luckily, most every large
grocery now has an olive bar somewhere, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble
finding them. Speaking of finding products, you may actually have a harder time
locating the Herbs De Provence.

We haven’t used this Mediterranean dried-herb blend in a
while, and if you can find it, it’s worth picking up a bottle. Trust me, you’ll
use the rest this grilling season. If you can’t find any, you can always make
your own, and I’ve listed the ingredients below. Anyway, if you’ve been looking
for a new chicken recipe, especially one with olives in it, then I hope you
give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

I don’t often buy puff pastry to make asparagus tarts, but
when I find a piece in the back of the freezer, it’s one of my all-time
favorite things to do. My only real regret with this video, was not finishing
it with a poached egg, and calling it a Mother’s Day brunch special. As great
as this was, it would have been even more so accessorized with a runny egg.

As long as you’re pretty good at making rectangles, and
trimming things to the right length, this recipe is a breeze. By the way, I’ll
give the specific ingredient amounts I used here, but this really depends on how
much asparagus you have, and how long you want your tart to be.

The width of your tart is always going to be a little
wider than the asparagus are long, as you see above; but the length is up to
you, and you can use as many spears as will fit across your pan. If you’re not
quite clear on what I’m saying, simply Google “asparagus tart” and you’ll see
what I mean. They’re like snowflakes.

While we got a surprisingly positive response on our raw asparagus salad recipe (I really should have more faith in you), I did
want to do a more classic, hot preparation as well. Asparagus is bountiful and
beautiful right now, and I really hope you pick some up, possibly along with
some eggs, and give this a try soon. Enjoy!

freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste- Bake puff pastry shell at 400 F. for 10-12 minutes, or until puffed and golden-brown.- Fill and bake another 10-12 minutes or until the pastry is browned and asparagus are tender (but not mushy!).

Sunday, March 23, 2014

I was trying to think of a spring recipe to repost today that
would highlight a seasonal vegetable, but instead decided to use a summer recipe that could highlight all of them.

That’s right, this summery sausage stew is
absolutely perfect for enjoying any and all of those spring veggies you’ll be
seeing at the farmers market. Baby carrots, English peas, new potatoes, and
other tender, green offerings will shine alongside your favorite sausage in this easy stew. Click here to read the original post. Enjoy!

Friday, March 21, 2014

Say that five times fast! As promised, here’s the pan sauce
you saw me dragging those perfectly trimmed chunks of NY strip through in our
Manhattan filet video. As I say in the intro, this isn’t truly a bordelaise,
but it’s close enough for YouTube, and absolutely delicious.

Of course, one could argue it would be smarter to use the
strip scraps for something like pasta sauce or chili, and you’d get no argument
from me; but if you want to put your Manhattan filet experience over the top,
this is a more than a worthwhile sacrifice.

I used chicken broth, but if you can find veal stock (check
your more expensive grocery stores) that makes this already gorgeous sauce even
better. Just be careful with the salt if you’re using broth from a carton.
Because we are reducing (and reducing again), an overly salty stock could
become inedible. Since I know someone one will ask, I’ll tell you right now; I
threw out the meat scraps after they were strained. Why? I don’t have a dog.

Once those tiny pieces
of meat are simmered for that long, they're completely tasteless, and certainly
not good eats. But hey, you guys are the Bobby Flays of your faux "Bordelaise,"
so suit yourself (didn't think of this one until after the audio was done). Also, if you don’t have, or can’t have red wine, don’t make
this sauce. If you do, and you give our Manhattan filets a go, I hope you
give this great pan sauce a try as well. Enjoy!

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

While I’m thrilled to be bringing you this “Manhattan Filet”
demo, I should start by apologizing for waiting so long. I learned this great
technique a few years ago on a foodie field trip to Las Vegas, and have been
keeping it to myself ever since.

Of course, waiting three years to publicly
share things you did in Vegas is always a prudent strategy, but that wasn’t the
case here.

Regardless, this simple technique not only provides you with
a NY Strip steak that eats like a filet mignon, but as you’ll see soon, the
trimmings are going to be used to make a world-class pan sauce. Even if a
faux-bordelaise isn’t your cup of tea, you can always save the scraps for a
Sunday sauce, or meatballs, and so this method still makes sense no matter.

The overnight “dry-aging” step is optional, but does add a
little something extra to the final product. In addition to some nominal flavor
concentration, the leathery surface will crust up marvelously. Anyway, stay
tuned for the companion sauce video coming up next, and if you want to play
along at home, go out and grab some nice fat NY strips, and start your own
Manhattan filet project. Enjoy!

Monday, March 17, 2014

This shaved asparagus salad actually started out as an
asparagus wrapped with pastrami recipe, but when that didn’t work out, my wife Michele saved the day, and convinced me to go raw – and I do mean convince.

I really dislike under-cooked asparagus, and in virtually
every video I’ve used it, I’ve pleaded with the audience to make sure the
spears get to the sweet and tender stage. I’ve always felt that the main reason
most people who don’t like asparagus, is that they grew up eating it crunchy,
barely warm, and bitter.

However, when you shave it thin with a peeler, and give it a
quick curing/pickling in the dressing, those harsh attributes mellow out
substantially, and the sweet, grassy flavor comes through. In fact, it was so
delicious that I contemplated serving it without the fried meat. Happily, that passed.

Thanks to the pastrami’s aromatic spices, subtle smokiness,
and peppery finish, it was a perfect match. Of course, you can substitute with
bacon or ham; but the cured beef brisket was a nice change of pace to those much
more common, pork-based choices.

Just be sure to not dress your raw asparagus until you’re
ready to eat. The couple minutes it takes to fry the meat is all the marination
time you’ll need. Anyway, peak asparagus season is almost upon us, and if
you’re looking for a new way to enjoy it, I hope you give this shaved asparagus
salad a try soon. Enjoy!

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Friday, March 14, 2014

In honor of National Potato Chip Day, I'm posting the closest thing I have. This "see-through” herb and potato crisp recipe was done almost seven years ago, and it looks/sounds like it. By the way, have I really been doing this for seven years?

Anyway, if you have some time to kill, and want to make something not exactly like potato chips, but close enough for the Internet, then I hope you give these a try. Click here to see the original post. Enjoy!

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Not only is this Syracuse salt potatoes recipe one of the
most delicious ways to cook baby spuds, it’s also one of the most interesting.
I generally don’t like when people watch me cook their food, you know, in case
anything gets dropped (#5secondrule), but these are kind of fun to do in front
of guests; just to see that look of shock in their eyes, as you dump in all
that salt. Amazingly, only a small amount of salt gets inside the
potatoes, and by “small amount,” I mean “perfect amount.”

This recipe really
takes the guesswork out of seasoning. Of course, I could go into all the
science behind why these don’t absorb too much salt, but that would mean having
to learn it first, and then figure out how to explain it, which sounds like an
awful lot of work. Instead, I’ll let my intrepid readers take wild guesses.

I mention in the video that these were invented by Irish
salt miners, which is true, except I don’t think they used actual mines, but
salt pools instead. Apparently digging is a lot harder than waiting for water
to evaporate. Regardless, they used this abundant supply of salt to boil
less-than-perfect quality new potatoes, and the rest is culinary history.

Regarding the amount of salt, I used a ratio of 1 cup of
kosher salt to 5 cups of water. Believe it or not, this is actually less than
traditionally used. Hey, we all don’t have salt factories in our backyards. A
cup of the brand I use weighs about 6 ounces, which means if you’re using
regular, fine table salt, you’ll need just over a half-cup to get the same
amount of salt.

Anyway, other than having to sponge-up some salt speckles
from the stovetop, this recipe is fast, easy, and truly unique. So, if you want
to serve something this St. Paddy’s Day that truly celebrates Irish-American
heritage, then I hope you give these salt potatoes a try. Enjoy!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

I’m sure you’ve heard by now that corned beef and cabbage is
not authentic St. Patrick’s Day food. It wasn’t until Irish immigrants, fleeing
the great potato famine, arrived in New York, and started hanging out in
delicatessens that brisket became the cabbage-adjacent meat of choice.

I assume it was the potato knishes’ siren song that
initially drew them in, but eventually they got hooked on the corned beef,
and the rest is history. So, I decided to do a little mash-up (and mash-under),
and this Irish pork stew with baby cabbage was the result. By the way, “baby cabbage” can be a
little hard to find, but you can use Brussels sprouts, and no one will know the
difference…mostly because there isn’t one.

You can cook them in the stew if you want, but the timing
can be tricky, and trust me, you don’t want to eat “baby cabbage” that’s been
cooked too long; no one does, So, I highly recommend blanching them first, and
warming through at the end.

Since we are using Guinness, I will admit this isn’t a
beginner’s stew. The stout gives a ton of flavor, but also a slightly bitter
note, which some people do not enjoy. I balanced it with the balsamic vinegar
and caraway seed, and it was absolutely wonderful, but I think it’s worth
mentioning.

You can leave it out, use a lighter beer, or just splash in
some extra stock. Anyway, if you’re looking for beautiful alternative to that
traditional “authentic” St. Patrick’s Day meal, then I hope you give this a
try. Enjoy!

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Sorry to partially ruin the surprise, but I’ll be posting a
St. Paddy’s Day recipe soon, and it’s not a new corned beef and cabbage recipe.
Of course, chances are you’ve been successfully boiling corned beef for years without
my help, but if you’re in the mood for a spicy chance of pace, I’m re-posting
this delicious coconut milk version for your consideration. You can read the original post here. Enjoy!

Friday, March 7, 2014

There is nothing exciting about sole. It’s cheap, easy to
find, has a mild, unremarkable flavor, and…that’s about it. It’s the Pabst Blue
Ribbon of seafood. Which means it’s the perfect candidate for jazzing up by stuffing
with crab.

The sole filets I used here were a little smaller than I
would have liked, and I probably over-stuffed them a bit, which will increase
the chances they will split along the natural seams in the flesh, especially if
you roll too tight. As you can see, it’s not a big deal, and doesn’t alter the
taste, but I did want to point it out.

As far as the trick I mentioned for covering cracks; all you
need to do is save a little of your lemon-mayo mixture, and near the end of the
cooking time (when the seams begin to split), pipe it into any unsightly
crevices. Then, turn on the broiler, and give the top a quick browning to hide
the evidence. I think these looked fine as is, and for a regular dinner I
wouldn’t bother, but for those fancier parties, it’s not a bad idea.

I hope it’s pretty obvious that this technique would work
for hundreds of other filling, as well as with any thin, white, roll-able fish.
These are also great since you can make them well ahead of time, and then just
sauce and bake when you’re ready to party. I hope you give these delicious
crab-stuffed sole filets a try soon. Enjoy!

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

I’ve never had much of a taste for whole wheat bread, which
is not surprising if you grew up during the Wonder Bread years. Whole wheat
flour is significantly stronger tasting, and its earthy, bitter aftertaste is
the reason white flour is the much preferred choice for, well, everything.

Besides the taste, it’s also a little harder to work with,
and fairly easy to turn out something with a density that would make a brick blush.
But, thanks to many years of requests, I decided to give the old no-knead
ciabatta a higher-fiber makeover. Since I don’t have much whole wheat baking
experience, I did what any good chef would do…I didn’t do any research, and
just tried to figure it out.

I was quite happy with the taste and texture, and going
50/50 with the all-purpose flour provided just enough of that crusty, chewy
“normal” bread experience, and we still get a decent amount of
whole grain.

The procedure is straightforward, but as I point out in the
video, pay attention to when you start. I recommend doing the sponge in the
afternoon, mixing the dough at night, and baking it in the morning. Speaking of
which, be sure to dust your dough with flour before covering. I didn’t, and had
a little sticking problem.

I know many of you have made and enjoyed the traditional ciabatta bread we posted, so I’m looking forward to hearing from those of you
who give this whole wheat version a try. Please let me know, and as always,
enjoy!

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

As you may have heard from a few magnanimous readers,
nominations are now open for Saveur's 2014 Best Food Blog Awards, and they have
a category for “Best Use of Video” this year. So, if you’re looking for a great
way to kill a few seconds, why not head over to the nominations page, and
represent! It’s been a while since we added any new “pieces of flair” to the
sidebar. Thank you! .

Monday, March 3, 2014

Spaghetti al tonno is one of my all-time favorite "go
to" pasta dishes, and I hope this re-make of an old video helps make it
one of yours. I did a very similar spaghetti with spicy tuna sauce for About.com
a long time ago, but never got around to doing an official Food Wishes version.

Having said that, there really is no “official” recipe, as
this is the type of dish that gets made a little differently every time. Not
different on purpose, mind you, but different since that’s what happens when
you cook without written recipes, which by the way, is the recommended
method.

I love a classic meat sauce as much as the next
half-Italian, but when I want something quick and easy for a weeknight meal, I
reach for the tuna. By the time you bring a pot of water to a boil, choose a
wine, and cook your pasta, the sauce should be done. What if all that sounds
great, but you don’t like fish? Then, this is perfect.

As I say in the video, the taste and texture is really
closer to a veal sauce, than one made with fish. Above and beyond the non-fishy
flavor, this is also lower in fat and calories, in case you’re into that kind
of thing. So, the next time you’re in the mood for a quick spaghetti with
“meat” sauce, I hope you give this delicious pasta sauce a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 Portions Spaghetti Al Tonno:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 anchovy filet

2 tablespoons capers

3 cloves minced garlic

1/2 cup white wine (Note: if you can’t use wine, don’t. Use
a splash of stock)

Saturday, March 1, 2014

For some arbitrary reason, March is National Peanut Month,
and to help kick it off, here are a couple of video recipes that feature this
great American legume. You can’t beat a warm stew on a cold night, and they
don’t get much warmer than red beef curry. The peanuts may seem like a minor player, but they
make the dish.

If you want your peanuts more liquid than solid, then by all
means, check out this great, and very easy satay dipping sauce. You seriously can’t run out of things to stick in
there.

I hope you give them a try soon, and here’s wishing you a happy and safe
National Peanut Month. Click on the titles if you want to read the original post, and see the ingredients. Enjoy!